Freelancefolder

7 Cs of Effective Web Writing–a Checklist for Freelance Writers

Posted October 21, 2011 in How-To, Writing

Freelance writers are common, but a relatively small percentage of these freelancers really understand their job and responsibilities.

If truth be told, it may seem that anybody can write. This seems especially true for those with reasonable English comprehension (which is a given if English happens to be your first language).

And even if English is not your first language, chances are that you may still be pretty good at writing once you understand that it is the preferred business language all over the world. Don’t forget that English is also the language of TV shows, motion pictures, and an infinite supply of wonderful books and literature.

But, is writing really so easy that anybody who knows English can do it? To be honest, it is really easy if you think that the main purpose of web content is just to fill cyberspace. However, writing becomes quite a job if you understand how many purposes a simple page of text is really supposed to serve. The writing challenge applies to almost all forms of writing, including articles, blog posts, or sales pages. But this post focuses on content writing.

In this post, let’s take a look at the seven Cs of effective web writing.

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How Freelancers Can Start to Prepare for Retirement

Posted October 16, 2011 in Accounting/Bookkeeping, How-To

Pretending that retirement will never happen to you won’t keep it from coming one day. For many traditional employees in the daily rat race there are 401ks and investments, social security payments and corporate pensions. This is all leading to that day when the employee chooses to throw in the towel and spend their golden years in leisure.

Most freelancers have none of those safeguards, but even if you do have all of that at your disposal there are no guarantees. The nightmare with the banks over the last decade has proven that. As a freelancer, you may have no benefits from your freelancing business that will prepare you for your final retirement later in life.

Because of this, you have to take your own steps to invest in your future (or at least have an exit plan). That exit plan should include retirement. It is never too soon to start, but there is such a thing as starting too late. So use the overview in this post to start your retirement planning.

(Editor’s Note: The information included here does not constitute specific financial advice and may not represent your particular financial circumstances. Check with your own financial adviser for the most current investment information specific to your own situation.)

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5 Ways to Build a Better Website

Posted October 11, 2011 in How-To, Writing

By now you realize how important your website is to promoting and marketing your freelancing business.

Your business website positions you as an authoritative and skilled freelancer in your field. It captures leads into an automated email service or customer relations management software.

It provides information to visitors who may be interested in hiring you. It answers their basic questions, so you don’t have to do it yourself. It acts like your sales representative, working 24/7 to get you more leads and prospects.

But how do you make your website better, so it can accomplish all these things more efficiently and effectively?

That’s what I’m going to tackle in this blog post.

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How to Use Templates to Keep Your Email Under Control

Posted October 10, 2011 in How-To, Productivity

My email inbox can get a little hairy. I’ve got messages coming in from clients that I can’t afford to miss. I’ve got emails coming in from other freelancers who I need to coordinate with on projects which, if I don’t get to, I might mess up an entire project. And I’ve got hundreds of other emails that, while they don’t immediately impact my work, do need to be dealt with in some way or another. But if I spent all the time I needed to on responding to the emails I receive, I wouldn’t have any time left for client work in the first place!

I’ve taken some pretty extreme measures to help me manage my email better. I use Gmail, so I have filters set up that organize my emails before I ever see them. I’ve written out my priorities so that I don’t get sucked into handling email for hours on end. And I have templates for my out-going emails.

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5 Ways to Get Web Content from Your Client on Time

Posted October 5, 2011 in How-To, Managing Clients, Web Design

It’s an all-too-common problem we designers face. You’ve laid out the brochure, or built the website, set up the database and integrated your CMS of choice, but you’re still faced with page after page of “Lorem ipsum…” where the client’s copy should be.

This then impacts on your next project, since when the copy eventually does show up, you need to revisit a job you should have put to bed weeks ago.

In terms of your income, it can have a negative impact too since you may have agreed not to send out that final invoice until the website was live, or the job’s gone to the printers.

In an ideal world, before we even launch Photoshop or Illustrator, we’d have a nice Word document sitting open containing all the copy we need. Unfortunately, in 15 years of working, this has never happened to me.

So, how do we get that all important Word document from our dear clients? Here are a few pointers:

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What Is Influence and Do Freelancers Really Need It?

Posted October 4, 2011 in How-To, Managing Clients

Influence…it seems like everyone is talking about it. But what is it, exactly, and what does it mean for freelancers?

In this post, we’ll look at the meaning of the word “influence” and discuss whether freelancers should be concerned about it.

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7 Steps to Leaving Your Corporate Job

Posted September 28, 2011 in Getting Started, How-To

So, you want to leave your corporate job and become a freelancer, but you just can’t seem to get started.

You’re not alone. Many employees actually wish that they could leave their job. Some of them just aren’t sure of the best way to go about doing it.

In this post, I list seven simple steps that you can take to leave your corporate job and become a freelancer.

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How to Avoid Common Freelance Writing Business Mistakes

Posted September 18, 2011 in How-To, Writing

Freelance writers are just like other independent contractors who do something for a living, they’re going to make business mistakes.

While I’m definitely a more optimistic than pessimistic individual, I can’t help but look for dangers lurking in the weeds, hence the reason for discussing this matter.

As a freelance writer for more than 20 years, I’ve made my share of mistakes along the way, something I hope you can learn from. Whether it was taking on too much work at one time or not charging enough for such work, I’d like to think I’ve grown a little since venturing into the freelance world back in the late 1980s.

In this post, I’ll provide some tips to help you avoid some of those mistakes.

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Finding a Mentor–A Freelancer’s Simple Success Secret

Posted September 15, 2011 in Getting Started, How-To

Is there a shortcut that freelancers can take when they are starting out to lessen the learning curve and achieve their goals more quickly?

You bet there is! It’s called…finding a mentor.

A mentor is a more experienced freelancer or other professional who you can turn to for guidance and who can answer your questions about freelancing. Although there are many benefits to working with a mentor, surprisingly few freelancers choose to work with mentors.

In this post, I’ll list some of the ways that having a mentor can benefit a freelancer. I’ll also provide some tips to help you find the mentor who is right for you.

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